The controversy over the question of changing prep athletic schedules to allow a Jewish boys' basketball team from Hertzl/Rocky Mountain Hebrew Academy to play in tournament opened a legitimate can of worms.

The team lost Feb. 28, making the case moot for now, but the question still remains: Did the Colorado High School Athletic Association discredit itself by refusing to try to adjust the schedule to allow the team to play after sundown on Saturday and avoid having to forfeit because it could not play on the Jewish Sabbath?

Some Colorado lawmakers said the action was 'despicable." I tend to agree. The ruling which said it would be difficult to change the schedule at a regional level and impossible to do it on a state level, overstates the difficulty, in my opinion.

The school won support from an Islamic support organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which said the players should not be forced to choose between their faith and taking part in sports.

That point is well-stated. A Denver Post editorial Feb. 29 perhaps said it best, pointing out there is a ban on playing on the Christian Sabbath, Sunday, that's been in the CHSAA by-laws for 80 years - it even forbids contact between coaches and players on Sunday.

While juggling schedules might have been tricky if the Hertzl/Rocky Mountain Tigers team had advanced, there were some indications other schools would support it.

The Anti-Defamation League was to meet with the CHSAA on Tuesday, and the issue will be discussed in upcoming policy and rule meetings.

It's time for a in-depth examination of how flexibility can be built into any prep tournament playoff schedules to accomodate all religious beliefs.

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